Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has lauded former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for displaying uncommon political courage by refusing to bow out of the race for President Bola Tinubu during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries in 2022.
Speaking in Abuja at Amaechi’s 60th birthday celebration on Saturday, Soyinka said the former Rivers State governor’s boldness stood out and left a lasting impression on him.
“The main reason why I had to be here today is, first of all, that I admire Rotimi Amaechi’s fighting spirit,” Soyinka said.
Describing Amaechi’s tenacity as consistent, Soyinka recalled watching the APC primaries live on television from Abu Dhabi. “I wanted to see the drama of all the primaries going on during the election. I wasn’t here, but I said I wanted to watch this contest, and I’m glad I did.”
Drawing a historical comparison, Soyinka likened Amaechi’s resistance to Tinubu’s earlier confrontation with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged third-term ambition.
“Let me explain this,” Soyinka said. “For somebody we knew as the last man standing when he fought to a standstill, a former president who was manoeuvring himself into a position of changing the constitution and obtaining a third term.”
While Obasanjo continues to deny those intentions, Soyinka insisted, “He and I know for a fact and so do others.”
Soyinka accused the former president of undermining the powers of the country’s federating units by withholding their statutory allocations. “But one man was the last man standing. Well, he obtained a dose of his own medicine from Rotimi Amaechi during the primaries. I enjoyed that very much,” he added.
Reflecting on Amaechi’s stance during the primaries, Soyinka said, “While everybody was, you know, falling over one another conceding, there was one individual who got on the podium and he said no, I’m not conceding.”
Quoting Amaechi, he added, “‘I didn’t come all the way here to commit lúlẹ̀.’ And that man was Rotimi Amaechi. And I said this is what democracy is all about.”
Although Tinubu eventually clinched the APC ticket with 1,271 votes, while Amaechi secured 316 votes to finish second, Soyinka’s remarks highlighted the symbolic value of Amaechi’s resistance during the high-stakes contest.
